Underdogs and dark horses: NFL the goal for all Pro Day Gamecocks

Patrick Fish understands that he’s never going to hear NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. on ESPN discussing the attributes of the former South Carolina holder and backup punter over the next month.

In fact, Fish is certain his name will not be mentioned by the time the draft concludes on the second day of May. So does that bother him?

“Not at all, not at all,” he said. “It was funny, me and my parents were joking (Tuesday night) about where we were going to have our draft party. It’s all in good fun.”

That didn’t keep the 6-foot, 194-pound Fish from participating in USC’s Pro Day on Wednesday, however, with 15 of his former teammates. Although he doesn’t have the high profile of surefire draft picks such as guard A.J. Cann and running back Mike Davis, Fish wasn’t about to let that keep him from pursuing his dream to keep playing football one more day.

“I don’t really have an agent or anything,” he said. “I just thought I would come out here and have some fun, just hit a couple of balls and see how I could do. I got to talk with a couple of coaches and a couple of scouts. It was just a fun experience overall.”

Fish has talked before of going into coaching after his playing days, like his father Woody Fish, the former Gardner-Webb football coach. But if there’s even a hint of putting on a uniform again, Fish, who punted five times in his college career and developed into a dependable holder for field goals and extra points, is ready to give it a go.

Asked the next step in his playing career, he smiled and said, “I’m not sure there’s going to be one. Hopefully, there is, but you’ve got to stay realistic. If something happens, it would be amazing. It would be a blessing. I’m going to stay realistic and I’m not going to get my hopes up with anything.”

Many of the Gamecocks who showed up for Pro Day know the odds of being drafted or even claiming a free-agent deal are long. They were happy, though, to get the opportunity to have NFL scouts and coaches put them through the paces on a sunny day at Williams-Brice Stadium.

Cody Gibson, a 6-foot-7, 278-pounder who played offensive lineman and tight end in his USC career, thought he did well on measurable drills such as broad jump, vertical jump and bench press. He hopes that grabbed the attention of a few scouts.

“I’m hoping to go make a team somewhere, wherever they want me,” Gibson said. “I did offensive line drills and caught footballs. I was mostly used as a blocking tight end this season, so wherever I fit in best on the team.”

Quizzed on his chances to land with an NFL team, defensive back Sharrod Golightly said he’d be happy to be picked in the final round of the draft.

“I had a rough day. I had a little hamstring issue, but it’s with the man above,” Golightly said. “I have a lot of faith. There’s a lot of guys out here, and I think we have good enough talent to play at a higher level, so I’m just excited.”

Gibson has discussed possible free-agent landing spots with NFL coaches and scouts.

“I’ve spoken with some coaches who could, possibly, direct me toward where I’d fit in the best,” Gibson said.

Fish, who has worked football camps as he figures out what’s ahead, got a kick out of his day, especially when he heard a few scouts say, “Good job.”

“I did what I could. That’s all I can ask. If I get into a camp, that’s probably my expectations,” he said. “If anything comes from that, it would be awesome.”

This story was originally published April 2, 2015 at 11:29 PM with the headline "Underdogs and dark horses: NFL the goal for all Pro Day Gamecocks."